Don't leave home without it-not if you want simple, guaranteed access to a business jet at a reasonable hourly rate. That's the pitch that has driven the rapid growth of jet card programs. Almost a dozen national companies, including the major fractional and charter fleet providers, now offer these cards. Numerous smaller charter companies also provide jet cards.

They don't come to market wearing a scarlet "A." But some business jets have a past that can make potential buyers view them as damaged goods-and greatly reduce their resale value. Their flaws, in the eyes of shoppers, may include relatively high airframe time, corrosion, foreign ownership, missing or incomplete logs and damage history.

You most likely think of a hangar as a place to be rented by the month to protect an aircraft from high winds, hail and paint-blistering sun. Hangars, however, can also be investments, and investment options have grown to include condominium-style arrangements and, more recently, long-term prepaid leases.

Lloyd Geist, chief pilot for Jet Management Inc., was standing nearby in an airport terminal when another business jet pilot dropped off his rental car. A customer service rep told the other pilot he'd have to pay $4.75 per gallon to refill the vehicle's gas tank. "That's OK," he told her. "It's not my money."

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“"Many years ago, our company founder, Al Conklin, sold a new twin-engine business aircraft to a very successful entrepreneur. He had established a bit of a rapport with the individual and, after the sale, asked him straight out, 'How can you justify the cost of this airplane?' His reply? 'What is the cost of a divorce?'"–David Wyndham, president, Conklin & de Decker”